Book Review of "The Einstein Prophecy" By Robert Masello

I found it a little odd that Einstein would be used as a character in a supernatural mystery/thriller novel, but here it is. He plays kind of a secondary character, but a key one nonetheless.

The story involves the main protagonist: young army lieutenant Lucas Athan (formerly a college professor) and his accidental discovery of a sarcophagus from an Egyptian tomb. As with many Egyptian stories involving a sarcophagus, this one is no different in that there is a curse of sorts for any unfortunate soul who disturbs it.

The sarcophagus is delivered to Princeton New Jersey (think Raiders of the Lost Ark here), where Lucas is assigned to study it along with archaeologist Simone Rashid (his love interest). Princeton New Jersey of course is where Einstein and his good friend Kurt Godel are working together on the Manhattan Project (the project where the nuclear bomb technology was developed). The reader finds out that there is a supernatural connection between Einstein and this box (ossuary).

I know it sounds kind of far fetched, but somehow I found the story amusing more than thrilling. I liked the descriptions of Einstein and his work and his friendship with Godel. I also liked Lucas and Simone and how their relationship develops. The book was kind of weak on building tension, which is what a good thriller would do.

I liked the plot because it was not completely predictable. Sure the general plot can be guessed at, but the finer details are surprising, yet not too over the top. so, I enjoyed the flow of the book.

This book won't win any awards, but it is still an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Rating (out of 5 stars) ★★★☆☆